Friday, October 18, 2013

TSA Weeks in Review Spanning 09-27-13 to 10-17-13

99Firearms Discovered in the last
three weeks – Of the 99 firearms, 84 were loaded and 29 had rounds
chambered. See a complete list and more photos at the bottom of this post.

Credit Card Knife (ABQ)

Artfully
Concealed Prohibited Items –
It’s important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure no prohibited
items are inside. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your
body, you could be cited and quite possibly arrested by local law enforcement.
Here are a few examples of where prohibited items were found by our officers in
strange places over the past three weeks.

Four
credit-card knives were discovered. Two were discovered at Mobile (MOB), and
the others at Albuquerque (ABQ), and Joplin (JLN).

A
three-inch knife was detected concealed in a wallet at Albuquerque (ABQ).

A
cane sword was discovered at LaGuardia (LGA).

A
pocketknife was found concealed in a cane at Denver (DEN).

A
knife was discovered taped to the inside lining of the bag at Minneapolis
(MSP).

A
dagger hidden inside a comb was discovered at Denver (DEN).

A stun gun disguised to look like lipstick was discovered at St. Louis (STL).

Stun
Guns – 43 stun
guns were discovered in carry-on bags around the nation in the last three weeks.
Four were found in Atlanta (ATL), four in Baltimore (BWI), four in Denver
(DEN), four in San Francisco (SFO), three in Norfolk (ORF), three in Phoenix
(PHX), two in Reno (RNO), and two in Tulsa (TUL). One stun gun was found at
each of the following airports: Anchorage (ANC), Buffalo (BUF), Burbank (BUR),
Columbia (CAE), Akron Canton (CAK), Cleveland (CLE), Grand Island (GRI),
Honolulu (HNL), Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Kansas
City (MCI), Minneapolis (MSP), San Diego (SAN), Seattle (SEA),
Sacramento (SMF), Santa Maria (SMX), and St. Louis (STL).

Stun Guns Discovered at (Left to Right) STL, SAN, RNO, MCI, CAE, BWI

Inert
Ordnance and Grenades etc.
- We continue to find inert hand grenades and other weaponry on a weekly basis.
Please keep in mind that if an item looks like a realistic bomb, grenade, mine,
etc., it is prohibited - real or not. When these items are found at a
checkpoint or in checked baggage, they can cause significant delays in
checkpoint screening. While they may be novelty items, you cannot bring them on
a plane. Read
here on why inert items cause problems.

An
inert training device was discovered in checked baggage at Fort Lauderdale
(FLL). The device caused the terminal to be closed for 33 minutes while experts
worked to clear the device.

*In
order to provide a timely weekly update, I compile my data from a preliminary
report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly (increase) from what I report
in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear, or end-of-year numbers
TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will not be estimates.

Unfortunately
these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about
these finds. Sure, it’s great to share the things that our officers are
finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the
throughput is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up
with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. The passenger can face a
penalty as high as $7,500.00. This is a friendly reminder to please
leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an
individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law
enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had
these items.

Great reporting on the credit card knives! Four in three weeks. Wow. Can you post the photos the Federal Air Marshall took? He had lots more great catches and I am sure would increase your blog traffic!

Once again, absolutely nothing found required the use of expensive, slow and invasive (even with ATR all persons with prosthetics and ostomies are singled out) full body scanners. Why are you still using these ineffective contraptions?

How many passengers has the up skirt pic Federal Air Marshall had removed on the grounds they were a threat to the flight? If the passenger seeing him take those pics hadn't been able to yank away the FAM's phone I think it's more than an educated guess that passenger making “wild accusations” against a FAM would have been removed and arrested. So fair to ask how many times has this happened with this particular FAM.Also our paper here in Phoenix ran a story this last weekend on how TSA has refused for 6 months now to make the video available of the wounded warrior TSA denies was forced to stand or remove his prosthetic limbs at Sky Harbor. TSA initially said at the time they would release the video to the public. Then the media was told they would be able to view it only and not record it. In the end only still photos were released to make the case all proper procedures were followed. TSA publicly insisted they handled this case properly but quickly changed the rules on screening wounded warriors. The paper documented numerous abuse complaints here from the elderly and the disabled. The complaint rate by volume is 2 ½ times above average. Two complaints that stood out were from breast cancer survivors. On said she was forced to remove her prosthetic breast in public at the checkpoint. Another says she was taken to a private room, told to remove the prosthetic and show the screeners her chest. TSA publicly insists no one has to remove prosthetics and that they do not perform strip searches. TSA was unable to comment at the time due to the government shut down but the public deserves a response. This consistent pattern of abuse is why I strongly feel our rights as travelers should be posted at the checkpoints.

What steps are being taken to make sure that all 21 layers of security can not be beaten by a 9 year old boy?

After multiple dry ice bombs exploded at LAX which were placed in secure areas by a baggage handler. Is the TSA going to start searching airport employees with the same level of diligence as passengers when they enter and exit secure areas? If a baggage handler can steal from luggage they can also put a bomb in a suitcase.

Anonymous said... Great reporting on the credit card knives! Four in three weeks. Wow. Can you post the photos the Federal Air Marshall took? He had lots more great catches and I am sure would increase your blog traffic!

Are you referring to the upskirt shots the Federal Air Marshal took at Nashville airport?

The TSA "immediately removed this individual from his current duties and is in the process of terminating his employment"... so he's still employed at this time. Because it takes sooooo long to say "You're fired" to someone.

"The folks who don't understand that you have to protect against all threats are welcome to their opinion"

Except that these weapons aren't perceived to be threats by TSA (unless the owner has been arrested and sits in a cell as I write with a charge of Conspiracy to disrupt civil aviation hanging over him/her.) - they're simply articles that dimwitted travelers tried to take on board.Surprises me that they have time to do checks like that, though - on my last trip from BOS, some TSA Einstein thought it would be a good idea to check on a small container of sea salt (securely packed in a ziplock bag in my checked luggage) and having determined it NOT to be crystal meth proceeded to place it back in the bag. Not in the ziplock bag. Thanks for the ruined cashmere sweaters.....

Anonymous said...Thanks to all the TSA people that worked through the Government shutdown while not getting paid.

October 20, 2013 at 11:49 AM ....................

TSA like other government employees will be paid for their time worked.

The employees who were actually furloughed will be paid also and enjoyed a paid vacation on the taxpayers dime.

The people who are not compensated are the non-government employees who were impacted by the minimal shutdown, people who had planned vacations to federally controlled parks, government contractors, and other such groups.

They still give the best opportunity during screening to find non-metallic threat items, as well as metallic items.

And where does that leave people who are forbidden to go through those scanners by their medical professionals? People with insulin pumps, for example, dealing with ignorant TS employees who put them in danger of their lives because they don't know what an insulin pump is? Or cancer survivors who are humiliated by being forced to show prosthetic breasts, or who have artificial bladders broken by those same ignorant TS employees? Or the handicapped, who have their canes and crutches taken away from them?

"They still give the best opportunity during screening to find non-metallic threat items, as well as metallic items."

And yet, they have yet to detect ANY threat items, while requiring many thousands of people to be invasively groped and assaulted simply for having prosthetics, ostomy bags, and other completely private, completely harmless medical devices. Shame on you.

As a passenger who wears an insulin pump that can't go through the scanners per the manufacturer's instructions, the body scanners are a pain to deal with. It's even more frustrating when I see this blog and legitimate threats to the plane are rarely found. On the occasions I get to use the metal detector, I seem to be setting them off too, which I never did in the past. It seems like their sensitivity has been turned up. A quick pass with the hand held metal detector wand would clear up that alarm, but those aren't used anymore for some reason.

Instead, I get treated to a full body patdown that seems more suited to being arrested than trying to board a plane. This includes a explosive residue test. I've always passed those tests, but I've heard enough horror stories about false alarms on these tests and that concerns me. These tests seem to alarm a lot of common household items like soap and lotions. I fear for the time I fail the test and have to go to a private room for a more invasive screening.

This blog lists a lot of stuff that can be (and likely was) detected by a walk-through metal detector and the baggage x-ray. Will you tell me again why TSA uses the whole-body scanners that look beneath clothing? Aren't you supposed to use the "least invasive means" to accomplish your searches?

Also, did TSA confiscate a wad of bills along with someone's ammo? Are the bills dangerous?

Nothing about the viral video that has you telling people they aren't allowed to make jokes in airports? Nothing about the documents where your agency flat out admits your procedures don't work and you've never caught a terrorist? Nothing apologizing for the pervert air marshal employed by your agency? Nothing about your harassment and illegal detainment of Renee Bergeron and her three year old disabled son? Nothing about the Arizona Republic's article on the angry passenger feedback?

Who cares about what little you found? I want you to address those things and apologize to all of us for your continual violations of our rights.

"Nothing about the viral video that has you telling people they aren't allowed to make jokes in airports?"

The video that refers to joking about having a bomb? That's not a new policy. It predates TSA and has been in effect since at least 1972 if not earlier. The movie Airplane! had a similar joke in it taken seriously. It was funny because it was true. "Oh look there's Jack. Hi Jack!" I wouldn't recommend you joke with a bank teller that you have a bomb either next time you make a deposit. The FBI tends to take that very seriously too.

"Nothing about the viral video that has you telling people they aren't allowed to make jokes in airports?"

The video that refers to joking about having a bomb? That's not a new policy. It predates TSA and has been in effect since at least 1972 if not earlier. The movie Airplane! had a similar joke in it taken seriously. It was funny because it was true. "Oh look there's Jack. Hi Jack!" I wouldn't recommend you joke with a bank teller that you have a bomb either next time you make a deposit. The FBI tends to take that very seriously too.

October 22, 2013 at 8:01 AM

.................................................................

The announcement that is being discussed isn't just about bombs. The announcement is so loosely worded that making a joke about "TSA Security Theater" could be deemed a violation of some secret rule.

“You are also reminded that any inappropriate remarks or jokes concerning security may result in your arrest,” the loudspeaker message states.

i am joking and making fun of TSA. you are a joke. i wait to see you guys at my door next. there will be scan process and strip search before you enter. the next time i fly i will make a point to laugh and joke at your worthless efforts to stop terrorist. you are a federal agency on fed property. thnx to 2nd amndmnt i can say whatever i want so long as i'm not threatening.

TSA at LAX - perhaps under the mistaken impression that sharp objects are forbidden, whether in carry-ons or in checked items - have twice within the last 6 months removed an Opinel pocket knife from the zipped side pocket of my suitcase. Both bags opened by TSA, only one containing a TSA note indicating they've searched the item searched the item.The response to my complaint is that I have to prove negligence on TSA's part.Really?!And wouldn't it be a good idea for TSA inspectors to have stamp with an ID # to apply to the TSA note. Then at least you could identify culprits...